4 stars is really more like a place holder. I'll probably go back and adjust the stars. I just don't know what to think about this book, but I suspect4 stars is really more like a place holder. I'll probably go back and adjust the stars. I just don't know what to think about this book, but I suspect I will think about it a lot.

Amity and Sorrow are very well-drawn characters; Sorrow is the elder, favored and "gifted," and Amity is her caretaker, very much like The Lost Conspiracy's set-up. Amity is both resentful of her sister's entitlement, and proud of the role she plays in supporting Sorrow. Their behavior is as believable as it is often horrifying. (Holy moly! Fundamentalist fathers are really bad for emotional well-being!)

The ending gives me pause, and as I say, I expect I'll be contemplating this for some time....more

Powerful writing and a very dysfunctional family kept me up WAY too late the other night. Gerald is coming up on his 17th birthday, has a job with anPowerful writing and a very dysfunctional family kept me up WAY too late the other night. Gerald is coming up on his 17th birthday, has a job with an understanding boss at a local entertainment center, excels in his high school special ed classroom, boxes and works out at a local gym, is noticing a cute co-worker, and attends weekly anger management sessions with a therapist. A chance encounter with a woman who recognizes him from the reality nanny show he was on at age 5 unleashes emotions and insights Ger has been pushing away for the past 10 years. What is wrong with his oldest sister? Why does his mother ignore it? Will his second sister ever call home again? Why doesn't his dad stand up for him? What is wrong with him, and how did he become the scapegoat for the family's problems?

This reminded me of Tangerine by Edward Bloor in its portrayal of parents who are so protective of one child that the other is very nearly sacrificed....more

Not much to say here without giving away the game. Code Name Verity delighted, scared, surprised me. I'd read other Wein books so I knew she was a gooNot much to say here without giving away the game. Code Name Verity delighted, scared, surprised me. I'd read other Wein books so I knew she was a good writer, but this one blows them all out of the water. If you like spy stories, books about friendship, mysteries, France, English people, World War II, bicycles, planes, writing, this book is for you. In short, this book is for ALL of you....more

June tells the story of how she almost lost everything when her beloved Uncle Finn died of AIDS. Misinformation, jealousy and lies threaten to irrevocJune tells the story of how she almost lost everything when her beloved Uncle Finn died of AIDS. Misinformation, jealousy and lies threaten to irrevocably estrange her from her sister, just like the relationship between June's mom and Finn was damaged. A brilliant painting, a high school production of South Pacific and just general adolescent feelings of isolation all play a part in this excellent first novel. I'm eager to follow this author....more

My intention was to read the first 20-50 pages and see if this would be grab a 9th grader's attention. (I'm vetting novels for an English assignment.)My intention was to read the first 20-50 pages and see if this would be grab a 9th grader's attention. (I'm vetting novels for an English assignment.) That was Saturday evening. I stopped somewhere around 190 pages and finished it the next night.

Attention to detail, character and setting -- I expect that from Tracy Chevalier, and I was not disappointed. The quilting details were right on and those were the ones I know, so I could trust her on the others (for example, Quakers and the Underground Railroad), and the characters were complex and contradictory -- just like real folks! The setting -- well you can imagine that a young Englishwoman in 1850 might be surprised by the Ohio frontier. Chevalier described a landscape that frightens, shelters, dismays and inspires her characters. Well done!...more

What's a poor girl in 1850s rural England to do? She sees her future in her mother's exhausted body, in her too many younger brothers and sisters, inWhat's a poor girl in 1850s rural England to do? She sees her future in her mother's exhausted body, in her too many younger brothers and sisters, in her father's feckless behavior. Well, Pell refuses to submit. Early in the morning of her wedding day she leaves it all behind. She has marketable skills and common sense and she won't waste herself on some man, even if he is her best friend.

With beautiful economy, Rosoff tells the story of a young woman who will be herself, however uncomfortable, and of the ties that bind her to others, whether she recognizes them or not....more

I remember loving this book when I read it 20+ years ago. Sam's quest to know her father; the pain her uncle continues to feel over his stint in VietnI remember loving this book when I read it 20+ years ago. Sam's quest to know her father; the pain her uncle continues to feel over his stint in Vietnam; her mother's ability to move on; her grandmother's inability... all these characters and story lines caught and hooked me....more

In a similar vein as the amazing movie Pan's Labyrinth, The Book of Lost Things presents a boy who enters a fantasy world to make sense of profound loIn a similar vein as the amazing movie Pan's Labyrinth, The Book of Lost Things presents a boy who enters a fantasy world to make sense of profound loss in his life.

David is an appealing child, devastated by the death of his mother. Long before he is prepared for it, his father remarries, the family moves and David has a step-brother to contend with. As these emotional traumas pile up, he retreats deeper into the stories he shared with his mother, until he winds up in another place where the old king is awaiting him to become the new king -- but at a terrible cost.

Although David often makes those choices you just know will end up badly (Don't leave the path! Don't eat the apples!), he is a resourceful and ethical child and definitely someone you want with you in a pinch, or in a fairy tale kingdom with talking wolves and evil tricksters....more

An absolutely brilliant novel about loss. I had been meaning to read this book and saw the movie first. It's one of the few timCan I give 6 stars? 10?

An absolutely brilliant novel about loss. I had been meaning to read this book and saw the movie first. It's one of the few times I have been disappointed by experiencing a story in that order. Usually I prefer to see the movie first; it reminds me not to compare films to novels.

I am in awe of Ishiguro's mastery. The reader is let into this woman's reminiscences of her childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. One soon realizes there is a mystery and somehow Ishiguro sustains that tension, all the while realistically painting a portrait of children's behavior, of young adulthood, of friendship -- its missteps and comforts.

Another stellar historical fiction from Tracy Chevalier. This one deals with fossil hunters in Lyme before Charles Darwin. As a friend said, the powerAnother stellar historical fiction from Tracy Chevalier. This one deals with fossil hunters in Lyme before Charles Darwin. As a friend said, the power of the novel reveals itself slowly in the same way that a fossil is dug out of a cliff: layers and details, a little at a time....more

Powerful language, realistic characters and a setting that is nearly a character in itself. Very gritty look at contemporary rural, hardscrabble lifePowerful language, realistic characters and a setting that is nearly a character in itself. Very gritty look at contemporary rural, hardscrabble life in the Ozarks. Ree is brilliant....more

Written in the form of eight vignettes, four from four different women (the mothers) and four from their daughters. The story begins with June Woo whoWritten in the form of eight vignettes, four from four different women (the mothers) and four from their daughters. The story begins with June Woo who has just lost her mother to an aneurysm. She is chosen to replace her mother’s seat in her mother’s mah jong club. June had always had a rocky and foreign relationship with her mother and through this club and her interactions with her mother's close friends, she teases open the story that her mother had never had the opportunity to tell. Also, all the different narratives show the relationship between that of a mother and a daughter of the rest of the Joy Luck Club members. With these narratives unfold personal emotions and feelings that they have withheld from one another and gives all readers an inside understanding of the mindset of a parent and a child and sees the position of thought in both. – characters, writing, setting...more

I can't remember who recommended this book to me, but thank you, whoever you are!

I loved Laila Lalami's writing. The reader is transported to MoroccoI can't remember who recommended this book to me, but thank you, whoever you are!

I loved Laila Lalami's writing. The reader is transported to Morocco and falls in love with her characters, Youssef and his mother in particular. Their hopes and frustrations felt real. I was heartbroken by the end....more

Update, 6/9/2014 -- I have to change the stars. I hated this when I read it, but it has stuck with me for nearly 5 years! That's some strong writing!Update, 6/9/2014 -- I have to change the stars. I hated this when I read it, but it has stuck with me for nearly 5 years! That's some strong writing! I'd love for a high school English department to assign this as summer reading. (Okay, really I'd hate that. I hate summer reading assignments.) Let's just say if you have to give the assignment of everyone in a whole 8th or 9th grade class reading the same whole novel, give this one a shot. 1- It's very compelling. I think Micah's whininess wouldn't affect teens the way it does this middle-aged mom and it's actually written for that age. 2- Conversations about a central plot device would be very interesting to have with teens. They are so used to speculative fiction that they would probably take her assertions at face value, but... she's a liar, right? Can you trust anything she says? 3- Using a well-written YA novel to introduce literary concepts, such as the unreliable narrator, to young high school students seems perfect to me....more

Brilliant and I do mean brilliant story about sisters and race and family and dysfunction and class. Birdie Lee is the younger and lighter-skinned dauBrilliant and I do mean brilliant story about sisters and race and family and dysfunction and class. Birdie Lee is the younger and lighter-skinned daughter of 1970s revolutionaries Sandy (Boston WASP) and Deck (Black intellectual). She has always been inseparable from her older, darker sister, Cole, but as they grow up, it is increasingly hard to keep the greater culture at bay; it is harder for Sandy to be an adequate mom to a Black girl; it is harder period . . . until the family splits down the middle, and Birdie spends the next 6 years wondering what happened. ...more

Growing up, Antonio is caught between two worlds, the world of his mother's family, farmers, and that of his father, cowboys. He doesn't know which toGrowing up, Antonio is caught between two worlds, the world of his mother's family, farmers, and that of his father, cowboys. He doesn't know which to become and feels the pressure from both sides. When Ultima, a curandera or healer, moves in with his family, he is taught that the only way to go is to make his own path. His journey to adulthood includes many treacherous experiences, but always there is Ultima, waiting to help and to bless. – setting, writing, characters...more

is the story of a young Indian girl who becomes a widow at age 17 and is sentenced to a life of waiting to die together with all the other widows fromis the story of a young Indian girl who becomes a widow at age 17 and is sentenced to a life of waiting to die together with all the other widows from her region. She gets out and emigrates to the US, but the voyage, the arrival, her first couple of years define the rest of her life. Her insight into the mind of the recent illegal immigrant is masterful. Her transformation into an "American" is poignant, as are her observations, from New York nannies to Iowa farmers. One of the strengths of the book, is Jasmine herself, who while victimized, never allows herself the self-indulgence of victimization. – setting, characters...more

Celie finds herself in one abusive situation after another. She is molested, beaten, and worn down by bearing and caring for children. Over the courseCelie finds herself in one abusive situation after another. She is molested, beaten, and worn down by bearing and caring for children. Over the course of the book, however, learns that her life can be different and through that gradual realization, she makes her life different. Celie's personal development is prompted by her relationship with Shug Avery, a singer and her husband's former lover, who comes to live with them for a while during an illness, and further through her correspondence with her sister Nettie, who is working as a missionary in Africa. Through Shug, Celie learns about love, physical pleasure and desire, and the possibilities of creative outlets; through Nettie, Celie learns about the larger world and begins to see that her life is only one of many possibilities. – characters, writing...more

A murder mystery of sorts – one told by an autistic fifteen-year-old. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to soA murder mystery of sorts – one told by an autistic fifteen-year-old. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers. When he discovers his neighbor’s dead dog, Christopher decides to emulate his favorite character, Sherlock Holmes, and apply logic to solve the killing, forcing himself to try new things and uncovering secrets. – plot, characters...more

A wonderful study in repression and tiny details. 16-year-old Griet goes to work in the home of the renowned painter Vermeer. She gradually becomes aA wonderful study in repression and tiny details. 16-year-old Griet goes to work in the home of the renowned painter Vermeer. She gradually becomes a vital part of his work, but their growing intimacy spreads tension in the household and into the town. A delicious way to have an art history lesson while enjoying a beautifully written novel. Great attention to historical detail, but it doesn’t get in the way of the story. – writing, characters...more

Another collection of linked short stories, which makes a tale of life on an Indian reservation; it is an exploration of the ways in which Indians deaAnother collection of linked short stories, which makes a tale of life on an Indian reservation; it is an exploration of the ways in which Indians deal with the pains and the joys of their lives (storytelling, dance, basketball, food, alcohol); it is a reflection on the relationship between past, present, and future; and it is a meditation on storytelling as a means of bearing witness and as a means of creation and change. – character, setting, writing...more